B grade

Rangers Orange produced one of their most complete performances of the season on Sunday, defeating Albury Bears Gold 9-5 at Black Range Park in Lavington.

The standout was Alex Williams, who was unstoppable at the plate, collecting four hits from four at-bats, including a towering two-run home run to centre field in the third inning that gave the Rangers the lead for good.

Williams set the tone from the outset, singling in the first inning and later stealing bases with his trademark aggression.

He backed up his offensive display by starting on the mound, pitching three solid innings with four strikeouts while allowing just two runs.

Albury struck first in the opening inning, but the Rangers hit back in the third when Darcy Sanders singled and Williams launched his two-run homer to put Wangaratta ahead 2-1.

The Bears tied the scores in the bottom of the third, but the Rangers broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning.

Angus King drew a walk before Sanders, Williams and Brad Murdoch all delivered key hits.

Mayayla Pool added a walk and the pressure forced Albury into costly defensive errors as Wangaratta surged to a 5-2 advantage.

The Rangers added further insurance in the fifth.

Sanders drove in a run, Williams collected his fourth hit of the day with another RBI single, and Tanner Godenzi ripped a two-run double to left field to stretch the lead to 9-2.

Albury mounted a late rally with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Ross Johnson steadied on the mound and the Rangers defence closed out the victory.

Wangaratta pounded out 12 hits in total, with Sanders, Murdoch and Godenzi each producing multiple-hit games.

The Rangers were also aggressive on the bases, stealing eight bags, with Williams, Sanders and Murdoch all swiping multiple bases.

Defensively, the Rangers turned an important double play in the second inning to halt an Albury threat and maintain momentum.

The win showcased Wangaratta’s potent combination of timely hitting, speed and solid pitching, and gives the side confidence heading into next Sunday’s road clash against Wodonga Warriors Maroon.

A grade

Wangaratta Rangers were left to rue several missed opportunities after being held to a 4-4 draw with Wodonga Warriors in a tightly contested A grade clash at Gayview Park on Sunday.

The Rangers looked in control early, jumping to a 3-0 lead in the second inning despite managing just one hit for the game.

Tanner Godenzi and M Sato both reached base, with Steve Johnstone hit by a pitch before defensive mistakes by the Warriors allowed three runs to score.

Wodonga chipped away in the third inning, but starting pitcher Nathan Pool was impressive on the mound.

Pool worked three-and-a-third innings, allowing just three runs while striking out four and keeping the Warriors off balance with a mix of well-located pitches.

The Warriors levelled the scores at 3-3 in the fourth, but Godenzi came on in relief and did an excellent job shutting down further damage.

The right-hander threw three-and-two-thirds innings, allowing just one unearned run while striking out four.

Wangaratta regained the lead in the sixth when Godenzi drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on a groundout before Johnstone drove him home to put the Rangers ahead 4-3.

Again, Wodonga responded in the bottom half, capitalising on an error before a two-out RBI single from N McCormack tied the game at 4-4.

The Rangers had a golden chance to snatch victory in the top of the seventh.

Josh Wells walked and Jason Jonker singled to put two runners on with one out, but the Warriors escaped when Dylan French hit into a rally-killing double play, leaving the go-ahead run stranded at third.

Godenzi then sealed the draw with a composed bottom of the seventh, striking out one and working around a single to strand the potential winning run.

Despite collecting just two hits for the afternoon, Wangaratta showed patience at the plate with six walks.

Godenzi stole two bases and was instrumental both on the mound and on the bases, while Tetsua Kamiyama and Jonker recorded the Rangers’ only hits.

The draw leaves Wangaratta frustrated after letting several scoring opportunities slip, but the strong pitching performances from Pool and Godenzi provide plenty of positives ahead of next Sunday’s trip to face the Albury Bears.

C grade

Rangers Orange delivered a dominant all-round performance on Sunday, overwhelming Albury Bears 11-1 in C grade action at Springdale Baseball Field.

Wangaratta set the tone from the opening inning, exploding for three runs to take immediate control.

Peter Anderson singled to left field to drive in the first run, Jack Dean followed with an RBI single to centre, and Sarah Warfe added another run-scoring single to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

The Rangers kept the pressure on in the second inning.

lex Correll brought home a run with a groundout before Mark Sianda lined an RBI single down the right field line to extend the advantage to 5-0.

One of the highlights of the day came in the third inning when Taylor Jones crushed a solo home run to centre field, capping another strong offensive inning and putting Wangaratta firmly in command.

On the mound, Darcy Sanders was outstanding - the right-hander allowed just one hit and one run over three innings while striking out four, consistently keeping Albury hitters off balance.

The Rangers were relentless at the plate, piling up 15 hits.

Sanders led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, while Sianda added two hits and several others chipped in with run-scoring contributions, including Anderson, Dean, Jones, Correll and Warfe.

Wangaratta’s speed on the bases was just as impressive.

The Rangers stole an incredible 16 bases, with Dean, Jones, Sianda, Williamson, Sanders and Warfe all swiping multiple bags.

Defensively, the Rangers were flawless, not committing a single error in a polished team display.

Sianda was especially busy in the field, handling five chances cleanly.

The emphatic win showcased Wangaratta’s depth and discipline, with strong pitching, aggressive baserunning and timely hitting combining for one of the team’s best performances of the season.

Rangers Orange will look to carry that momentum into next Sunday’s clash with Wodonga Warriors.

Under 15

Wangaratta Rangers Under 15s showed plenty of fight despite going down 8-1 to Albury Bears Green at Springdale Baseball Field on Sunday.

The Rangers made a perfect start, striking in the opening inning.

Anderson-Ohata delivered a clutch single to score the game’s first run and give Wangaratta an early 1-0 lead.

Albury responded quickly to level the scores in the bottom of the first before taking control in the second and third innings.

While the scoreboard favoured the Bears, the Rangers produced several encouraging performances throughout the contest.

Jack Dean was a standout both on the mound and at the plate.

The talented right-hander struck out an impressive nine batters across three-and-two-thirds innings, repeatedly overpowering Albury hitters.

He also led the Rangers offensively, collecting two hits from two at-bats.

Anderson-Ohata finished with the team’s only RBI, while Lillie Brockwell provided energy on the basepaths, stealing two bases as Wangaratta looked to manufacture scoring opportunities.

The Rangers continued to compete hard throughout the game, putting pressure on the Bears whenever they reached base and showing strong effort in the field against an Albury side that capitalised on its opportunities.

Although the result did not fall Wangaratta’s way, the performances of Dean, Anderson-Ohata and Brockwell were major positives and highlighted the team’s growing confidence and development.

The Rangers will look to bounce back next Sunday when they take on Albury Bears Gold in another important under 15s matchup.

Under 12

Under 12 Rangers Orange were defeated by Albury Bears Gold 18-11.

Play of the game went to Finn Martin for his outstanding work as catcher and starting the game off with a triple in his first at bat.

Player of the game went to Alexander Febre.

Rangers Black went down 16-21 against Albury Green.

Carter Cunningham was named player of the game, while player of the game went to Hudson Kiker after his clutch tag out at third base.